


Summer's Not Hot

by icup



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, just a plain ol modern day nothing interesting happening au, probably other characters involved im just too lazy right now i havent even started writing, you know how it be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-25 06:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14971097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icup/pseuds/icup
Summary: it is pretty hot actually, it's summer. it's supposed to be hot





	Summer's Not Hot

You're sitting at your desk, on your laptop, mindlessly scrolling through your endless YouTube recommended feed. You're 19 and you have work that you could be doing, but just choose not to.

You are Dave Strider.

It is incredibly hot outside, but nothing out of the ordinary for Houston, Texas. Especially when considering that it is currently June 20th. You typically wouldn't have an issue with the heat but due to the fact that your air conditioner broke down, just when May was rearing its little head right around the corner, you feel terrible. You're wearing only boxers and you're still somehow sweating through them. You think you should probably get up to get a nice cold beverage, after all your mini fridge is filled to the brim with them, but you choose not to as you'd rather spend your time doing... what? What ARE you doing? You aren't really DOING anything. Regardless of that fact, you don't want to get up because it's "too hot to move" or something like that.

You spend a good 'nother 30 minutes or so sitting there staring at a screen full of white, red, and 'epic prank' videos before you decide to get up and get a cold drink. You stand up, stretch and hear all your bones crack. How long were you sitting there for? Way too long, apparently. Your ass feels all sweaty. Gross. You waddle your way on over to get a drink, ultimately deciding on Cherry Pepsi. Walking over to your laptop you trip over one of your billions of computer cords lying on the ground and land face first on the ground. Conveniently you land in front of a suspicious looking piece of paper! Wonder what it says. Sitting up, you get into criss-cross apple sauce position, place your unopened bottle of Cherry Pepsi in your lap and pick up the paper. It looks old and pretty crinkled and there are at least 3 tears in it. Despite both of those facts, the words on the letter are still legible. It reads:

"dear dave,   
  
happy birthday!!!   
  
i just wanted to take a break from telling you how much your gay butt stinks all the time and say what an awesome friend you are. seriously, on any other day i would be downplaying how you aren't really as cool as you think you are, but just between you and me i think you might actually be that cool. i think you just gotta get out of your bro's shadow and spread your wings dude!!!   
  
so i got you these. they're totally authentic! they actually touched ben stiller's weird, sort of gaunt face at some point. i'm sure you'll dig them because i know you lolled so hard at that movie. ok so for real, this is sort of a shitty present, but it is an ironic present because i know you wouldn't have it any other way. maybe you can wear them ironically some time. they MIGHT even be more ironic than you and your bro's dumb pointy anime shades.   
  
anyway, have a good one buddy! and stay busy being totally sweet!   
  
~ghostyTrickster   
(john)"

Holy shit. It's John's 13th birthday letter to you. MAN, those were the days. Speaking of John, when was the last time you talked to him? You... don't actually remember. Damn. Dude's your best friend for what? 7 years? Something like that.

Reading the letter makes you miss the little weirdo. A lot. You guys had so many good times together, why wouldn't you miss him! Anyways, because you miss him you decide to get off your dirty-ass floor and message him via Pesterchum, which you haven't used to contact anyone but Lalonde in a long time.

Opening up Pesterchum, you see that he's online. Huh. You didn't think anyone still used this old thing, then again, he is Egbert so you always have to expect the unexpected. Stay on your toes. Sharp, quick reflexes are required to talk to Egbert. Could make a scathing dig at your 'stupid shades' at any time and you would never see it coming. Anyways, getting off track. You begin pestering him.

turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB]

EB: woah! dave?

EB: i haven't talked to you in forever dude!

TG: oh hey

TG: thought i would be the one to get the first message out since i did kinda start pestering you

TG: but thats fine

TG: anyways yeah i like

TG: found this old letter you wrote me for my thirteenth birthday

EB: you still have that?

EB: i would've thought you threw it away a long time ago!

EB: pretty cool knowing that you kept it, haha.

TG: yeah i never thought to get rid of it

TG: maybe itll be valuable someday

TG: worth millions  


TG: hung up in the smithsonian where everyone can see it

TG: people all over the globe will pay valuable money

TG: just to read what lil ol thirteen year old john egbert had to say

TG: theyll all marvel and say wow

TG: what a fucking geek

EB: hey! i wrote that letter with nothing but appreciation in my heart.

EB: it wasn't geeky.

TG: lmao

TG: it so was hella geeky dude

TG: but thats okay

TG: because the heart was there  


TG: and isnt that what its all about

TG: the spirit of it all

EB: yeah! you're right!

EB: but hey, why didn't you talk to me for so long?  


EB: i know why you're messaging me now.

EB: but it seems a little weird to just leave a guy hanging for several years!

TG: good question

TG: ill tell you when i have an answer

EB: awww, c'mon dave! :B

TG: cant tell you dude

TG: confidential info

It really wasnt confidential, you just don't know why you stopped talking to him. He really is great, and you missed him a lot. He was your best friend! So why would you just stop talking to him? You have no idea, and neither does he.

EB: bullshit!

He called you on your bluff.

EB: i'm like, your best bro.

EB: nothing is confidential with me.

EB: unless...

EB: i'm not your best bro anymore!

TG: dont be ridiculous egbert

TG: youre always gonna be my best bro

TG: regardless

TG: some things just have to stay a secret man

TG: to achieve world balance

EB: it's world peace, dave.

TG: whatever

EB: aw, shit i gotta get going.

TG: where you in a rush to get going so soon big boy

EB: i have a job!

EB: i'll talk to you later, man.

TG: deuces

ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering  turntechGodhead [TG]

 Well, that kind of sucked. Not to say you didn't enjoy talking to the guy, you did. But it was short and felt... awkward? Forced? You're not sure what word you should use to describe it. But everything about it felt off. Not only that, but there's stuff that you don't know about him now. Stuff he doesn't know about you. For example, when did he get a job? Since when is he able to KEEP a job? Where does he work?

Why weren't you talking to him?

You sit there and ponder these questions for a bit before realizing your Cherry Pepsi is warm. Gross. But, hey, what can you do? Despite it's vile warm, you chug down your Cherry Pepsi, because what else are you going to do? Waste it? Put it back in the fridge with your unopened sodas, where it would obviously stand out and feel isolated? Not a chance. You're not fucking stupid.

It's still midday, and you don't really have anything else to do, so you decide to message your sister. She's probably hanging out with her girlfriend and trying to enjoy herself, which would make you an asshole for messaging her, but since when have you not been an asshole?

turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]

TG: rose

TG: rose

TG: rose

TG: rose

TT: What.

TG: i just talked to john

TG: for the first time in like

TG: forever

TT: Dave.

TT: That is wonderful and I am very happy for you.

TT: However, right now I'm trying to watch a movie with Kanaya, can't this wait until later?

TG: well

TG: yeah

TG: but im bored so

TT: I will talk to you after I have finished enjoying my alone time with my girlfriend.

TT: See you, Dave.

tentacleTherapist [TT] has ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG]

TG: dammit

 You consider continuing to pester her despite the fact that she's spending time with Kanaya, but that would just make you a massive, sweaty, veiny, wrinkly, dick. After coming to this conclusion, you realize there is almost nothing left for you to do in your dinky little apartment. To be fair, you weren't really doing anything to begin with but since you had that fun little conversation with Egbert, you think maybe it's time for you to actually do something.

You get your sweaty, skinny ass up out of your computer chair and into the air. You throw on a pair of shorts and a red t-shirt over your bare chest and boxers-only legs. You ram your shoes on, grab your wallet, keys, and phone and head out.

Surprisingly, it's not all that hot in the hallway of your apartment building. That's likely to be because they actually have air conditioners out here. And vents.

Upon exiting your apartment building you quickly realize you... aren't sure what you're going to do. No one you know lives in the area and you rarely go outside so you aren't quite sure what direction things are in. You really should, considering you've lived in Houston your whole life, but you should also be going to college since you're 19 years old and have no idea what to do with your life, but you aren't exactly doing that either. Well, you kind of know what to do with your life. You draw stupid comics on the internet and its been making you a decently steady income, shockingly enough. Typically doing something like that wouldn't make you practically any money but, hey, people like your shitty  comics.

Getting sidetracked. What are you going to do? You could just, walk around aimlessly. You ponder that for a moment and decide that, no, you absolutely aren't going to do that because you know you will get lost. You look up on your phone some good food places close to you. You find an 80's themed burger joint about a block away and you choose to go there. You find yourself remembering that John really liked the strawberry-chocolate swirl milkshakes from the place. Weird. You didn't think you would've remembered something like that since you didn't even remember you'd been there before until just now.

You arrive at the place and shockingly, it's almost entirely empty. Walking in you feel welcomed yet shunned at the same time. Sort of like a 'thanks for coming, but I'm not sure why you would come, you weirdo' type vibe. The walls are white with red support beams, small neon signs, old newspapers and magazine covers cover the walls. The booths and chairs all brightly colored and the floor is a nice white and black checkered pattern. A classic. On every table there's a small jukebox and you wonder if people ever actually use them.

You remember coming here with John now. You remember how insanely delicious their burgers were and how John's laugh filled the place as he played Madonna's "Like a Virgin" on every miniature jukebox in the place, somehow overtaking the music. You remember how he had a dimple on the left side of his face but not the right and how he stuck two french fries in front of his teeth and made what he called 'vampire noises' like a five year old. You really miss him.

You seat yourself and take a second to breathe the place in. There's only two other people here, a young couple. Mid 20's. All the staff look bored and exhausted but pleased that at least with your arrival, they have something to do other than mop the floor and clean the counters. A young woman comes to take your order, you decide on a cheeseburger, fries and a strawberry-chocolate swirl milkshake.

The wait for your food isn't too long, which doesn't surprise you at all since the only other people here already have their food. You take your first bite of the burger and it's just as good as you remember it being. The milkshake also ends up being super fucking good, not that you didn't think it would be. Though, sometimes John's taste is a bit... questionable to say the least. I.E. he doesn't like cake but he used to like "Con Air".

You really dig into your food and after not long, it's all gone. A shame, really. But what can you do? Since you're done eating you decide that it's time to go back home. Yeah you didn't do anything else but the experience was nice enough and nostalgia-inducing enough to account for a whole day's worth of doing stuff. You head on home to your apartment building.

You arrive home and immediately go to your laptop. Once you open your laptop you are greeted with a spring of notifications from Pesterchum. They're all from John.

**Author's Note:**

> i havent actually written something in maybe like a year or two at least not something that wasnt for school so have this . i may or may not update soon depends on how drained summer school leaves me lmao


End file.
